Caleb Williams was among the most highly touted quarterback prospects to enter the NFL Draft in recent years. The Chicago Bears quarterback was destined to be the first overall pick since he transferred to USC, but his NFL career is not off to an ideal start.
The Bears are 4-4 to start the season, and it will be fair to say that both Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels have looked more impressive than Williams. However, despite the rough start to his NFL career, Fox Sports analyst Danny Parkins believes that the Bears’ quarterback will not be a bust.
Danny Parkins Assesses Caleb Williams’ Situation
In a conversation with Kevin Clark, Parkins highlighted what makes Williams special and how even the Bears can’t ruin him.
“He’s got an ‘it’ factor that Justin Fields had as a leader but that he didn’t have on game day like Caleb Williams,” Parkins said. “The man carries himself in a way and makes plays, and yet, some of them have been against [the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams’] defense or whatever. But you can’t deny if you’re watching every snap that that Aaron Rodgers, Pat Mahomes thing isn’t in there.
“The dude was created in a lab to be a quarterback. I think he might be bustproof. I don’t think it’s on the table that he’s awful … I think Caleb Williams is way too talented. I don’t see a world where the Bears could Bears this up to the point where they don’t want to give him a second contract, that he doesn’t have a long enough runway here. I think he’s already shown an ability again, an ‘it’ factor, a playmaking ability.”
"I think he might be bustproof" –@DannyParkins.
I asked Danny what he'd say if Bears fans asked him why Caleb won't suffer the same fate as previous Bears QBs. He went deep and optimistic. This Is Football was excellent today. pic.twitter.com/XQK6AHnuuo
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 8, 2024
In eight games so far, Williams has thrown for 1,655 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions, completing 61.4% of his throws. The Bears’ offensive line has not helped him much, but despite that, the rookie has shown flashes of how good he can be when surrounded by the right pieces.
Williams is on pace to get significantly better numbers than Justin Fields ever had with the Bears, and he will only get better with time. The USC product has superstar potential, and it will require a lot of bad decisions from the Bears for the 22-year-old quarterback to not reach his potential.
Matt Eberflus Desperately Needs a Win in Week 10
It’s true that Williams is too talented not to be successful in the NFL, but the Bears might need to hire a new head coach to bring out the best in him. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s name has often been mentioned as an ideal replacement for Matt Eberflus, but it remains to be seen whether or not Johnson would want to join the Lions’ division rivals.
Eberflus is 14-28 with the Bears since becoming their head coach in 2022. Chicago is currently on a two-game losing streak, and if they fail to beat the New England Patriots in Week 10, his time could be all but done as their head coach.
It’s unlikely that Bears general manager Ryan Poles will fire or make a coaching change during the season, but unless the team makes a deep playoff run, Eberflus is unlikely to return in 2025.
Chicago needs an offensive-minded head coach to develop Williams and other players around him. Hopefully, Poles will get the right man for the job as the team is ready to compete.